I first want to say a special thanks to those who have sent encouraging notes to me and my family. We are all well and seem to be healthy. I also want to thank those who have continued to financially support this ministry. I know this is an extremely unsettling time and can cause great financial concern. At the moment, we are in good financial shape. We had good end of year support and, although donations are down, there will not be a concern for several months.
Our school in Kenya and the wider community surrounding our school is in much need of prayer! Overall, Kenya has had very few reported cases of the virus. However, the government recently enacted many of the same restrictions we have seen in the US and most places in Europe. Last week we were forced to close the school and most businesses, including the MANY small shops and kiosks that line the streets of our school community, have been forced to close.
It’s difficult for most of us to understand the impact of these shutdowns. For most of the kids in our school, the food they receive during the day is the only food they eat. There is no such thing as full pantries or refrigerators at home. And most parents spend their days looking for work to purchase a little food and pay their rent. Being told they need to stay home is effectively telling them to go home and die. I’m really not exaggerating!
We are trying to help as best we can. We were able to pay all the staff for April even if the school remains closed. We also implemented a system for allowing our school kids to enter the school in shifts for a big lunch while taking all the necessary sanitary precautions. This was working, but today the situation was so tense with adults and kids trying to push into the school for food that we have had to discontinue this program until we can find a better distribution method.
With the community being closed down, there is simply no food and there have been many clashes between community members and the police. Last night a 13 year old boy was killed in a riot for defying curfew. I’m not sure what they are expected to do. Please pray as you are led!
There are also many prayer needs in our own communities. I received a note this morning from a ministry friend whose father is an older ER doctor in an area with many infections. He is not overly concerned for his dad, but his mom has a history of respiratory illness and would be at great risk if his dad brought home the virus.
Maybe we could find a way to post prayer requests and then pray for one another. Perhaps you could post prayer needs as comments to this message on Facebook and then pray for others as you are able. You can find our FB page by searching for God’s Daily Word Ministries. We can also be found at https://www.facebook.com/GDWMin/. I will keep this message at the top of the page for the next few weeks.
Thanks so much!
Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries
**** Reading Plan ****
Mar 31 Deuteronomy 16:1-17:20; Luke 9:7-27; Psalm 72:1-20; Proverbs 12:8-9
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